GOD CHOSE YOU. Deuteronomy 10 The news among the nations of the Middle East many years ago would probably have focused in great measure on a huge multitude of slaves who escaped Egypt and were wandering around in the wilderness. How they could survive in such a difficult area would have perplexed the people around them, who knew how tough wilderness living was for an individual, let alone millions of people. It seemed like they were going toward Canaan at first, but then they turned back the way they came.
There was a strange phenomenon wherever they went. There was always a cloud over them in the daytime, and at night, a pillar of fire was shining across the area where they were camped. During those years, they had turned into a well-organized tent city of millions of people from a disorganized band of escaped slaves. Then they turned again toward Canaan, but this time, they were farther east and had taken over all the land and high ground east of the Jordan River. Now, they had stopped and seemed to be waiting for something.
God's waiting times are always important to the big picture as He deals with His chosen people. To many, the first day of the week, Lord's Day, seems like a wasted waiting time. So, instead of stopping and waiting to hear what God the Lord has to say, they use that special waiting time for their own pleasure. God knows we can easily get side-tracked from working His will in our lives, so he has us stop and listen again to His words and worship Him.
The ark containing the tables of stone on which were written the ten commandments was always in the middle of the camp of Israel. When they entered the promised land, it was there. Right up to the time Solomon built the temple five hundred years later, the ark had a special place of focus for God's people in those ancient times. In a similar way, our Lord Jesus Christ is in the middle of us today when we are gathered in His name. Our gathering center is not a building or a creed made by men but an unseen Person whom we know by faith and love supremely.
The Levites in the past were a separated tribe of Israel whose calling was to serve God on behalf of all His people daily. The Israelites had forfeited the privilege of being a kingdom of priests by their disobedience, so this tribe acted on behalf of God for the people, and on behalf of the people in their approach toward God. When there are those whom God calls to serve Him, the result is special care given to carry out the mandate He has given us to "go into all the world and make disciples." This work is ongoing, though we cannot see the full extent of it. No longer is it the role of those who serve God to deal with a small group of people, but to serve all humanity for God who has shown grace and mercy to all mankind.
God expects of His people today what He expected of them in the ancient past. We are to fear God with respect and reverence. He is the Almighty God who has chosen to draw near to us and bless us. He has plainly told us, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." For people chosen by Him to be His people, this is what we should want to do. When this is true, we will walk in His ways and follow where He leads us. One thing we know for sure is that where He leads us, it is in our best interest to follow even if there are times when the road seems hard and rough. Faithfulness to Him and following Him will give our lives meaning, and there is a purpose in it that is known to Him. "What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter."
When we love the Lord with our hearts and soul, our service for Him will be whole-hearted and genuine. To love Him is to trust Him. To love Him is to look at things as He sees them. To love Him gives the right perspective to everything else in our lives. Those who love Him want to do His will, and we desire devoted service for Him. Whatever we can do for one we love gives us delight. To satisfy the one we love is very important to us. Any work we can do for the one we love expresses our devotion in a way that can be seen, and that is enough for us. To obey God when we know what He wants from us gives real meaning to work that otherwise could be drudgery. When we put our hand to accomplish some seemingly mundane task, that work is changed into an act of worship because we are doing it "unto the Lord, and not unto men."
The surgery of circumcision that set the nation of Israel apart from other nations was not to be only an outward expression of acquiescence to the will of God but was to be an inward sign of one who was committed to doing the will of God from the heart. When there is genuine submission to the desires of the Lord for us, there is glad gratitude for the privilege of representing Him in this world. The cutting off the flesh indicates we are going to "walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." When that happens, we are "led by the Spirit" to serve the Lord in glad obedience and love for Him. Christ-likeness is made evident when there is love for God and justice for men as we live in the place of our calling.
The "Lord your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of lords" and the descriptions of Him create a spirit of reverence and godly fear in our souls. We know He delights in His people. Even though we fail Him often, and because He loves us, He chastens us. Still, we are conscious that as His chosen people, we are the objects of His affection. He hasn't only given us His word to go by and teach us as He did when He gave the commandments to Israel; he has promised to be with us as the ark's presence assured them. "I will never leave thee or forsaken thee" is a wonderful promise as we journey through a godless world.
Our allegiance to the Lord is in words and should be easily demonstrated in our deeds before men. People around us who do not know the Lord have much higher expectations of us than they do of themselves. When we claim to follow the word of God as "the man of our counsel and our guide," we have taken the high ground. Even most professing Christians will claim to follow the scriptures, but "we interpret them differently."
When we read the scriptures and interpret them, we must remember they are not of "private" interpretation but are to be read and obeyed contextually so the interpretation is right, and the application is appropriate. The Lord has chosen people to bear His name and honor Him scripturally and personally. He has also promised a future for His people who will love Him and enjoy Him forever. During this wilderness journey, we need to review the terms of our covenant with God often so we do not act independently and go off the path of His revealed will.